A Pennsylvania township is considering an unusual trade-off: If a sprawling data center project wins approval, every household would get $10,000.
But for many residents, the potential payout has done little to ease worries about noise, home values, and the fast-growing presence of artificial intelligence as well as the facilities that power it.
Here's what to know
According to the Wall Street Journal, NorthPoint Development began sending letters in June saying Hazle Township households would each receive $10,000 if the company gets permission to build its proposed data center. The township includes roughly 4,500 households.
The proposed data center is part of a larger plan for 15 buildings on 1,300 acres in the Pocono foothills.
In a township where the median household income is about $60,000, payments of $10,000 could mean a lot to residents. Still, many said they remain against the project.
"$10,000 doesn't match how much it's going to tank my property value," Jeff Fasnacht, a retired teacher whose home is near the proposed site, told the WSJ.
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Not everyone reacted the same way.
Charlie Leshko, who worked as a maintenance man and lives just outside the eligible area, told the outlet, "$10,000 don't come along every day."
Diana Spallone, a special education teacher, said, "$10,000 would be nice," but she also described the potential for data center construction to tank her home's value as her major concern.
More background
Developers often try to win local support by promising money for schools, fire departments, or other public infrastructure. Checks written directly to every household, however, could be seen as a much more forceful bid for support for the AI-related operations.
Data centers serve as the backbone of cloud computing, streaming services, and AI.
Residents say they are concerned about long stretches of construction, added noise, and the effect a large industrial development could have on the area's rural character and surrounding property values.
Across Pennsylvania, server-farm projects have drawn both support and skepticism, with some communities profiting from land deals and others questioning whether short-term benefits are worth possible long-term costs.
Elsewhere, communities facing data center construction have also worried about the potential strain on energy grids, water usage, and pollution.
What's being done?
Last November, township officials rejected the data-center plan on zoning grounds, and NorthPoint later sued to try to reverse that decision.
As it revises its zoning rules, the township has also temporarily halted new data center construction.
NorthPoint says, meanwhile, that it is also offering broader community investments. Brent Miles, chief marketing officer at NorthPoint Development, said the company expects to provide another $120 million over 15 years, including funding for a police department.
About the $10,000-per-household offers and potential community investments, Miles told the WSJ, "I think we've got something here that's on the cutting edge, really in direct response to 'what's in it for me?'"
Retired homeowner Ed Negra said the offers made him more suspicious, not less.
"I think it works the opposite way, because most people have the opinion that, 'hey, are they trying to bribe us here?'" he said.
Where can I learn more?
The debates playing out in Hazle Township are showing up elsewhere as AI data centers move into rural communities:
• In Missouri, Nodaway County residents rallied against a proposed data center.
• Gov. Greg Abbott said data centers must bring their own power and water to rural Texas.
• Across unincorporated rural communities, developers are bypassing city limitations to pursue easier data center approvals.
• In Endicott, New York, officials are considering a 12-month pause over water and energy fears.
• In Kern County, California, the AI boom is pushing data centers into oil fields.
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